Chapter 270: The Authority of a New Era
Murdoch, without hesitation, chose to take a stake in the gas lighting company. By contributing his patents on coal gas distillation and the gas lamps still in his head, he secured 5% of the company's shares. Five percent might not seem like much, but with an initial investment of 3 million livres, it amounted to a substantial 150,000 livres! This didn't even include the dividends or the fact that the company's share value would likely rise as it grew.
Joseph then explained his detailed plans for the gas street lighting project. Murdoch immediately suggested, "Your Highness, if you want to ensure the absolute safety of the gas pipelines, I recommend using gun barrels as the gas pipes."
Joseph vaguely recalled from a documentary he had seen in a previous life that Murdoch had used gun barrels as gas pipes when installing gas streetlights in London. It seemed that history might indeed be inevitable.
He nodded in agreement. "There will soon be a large number of old guns being retired. We can repurpose their barrels for this."
As the new percussion cap guns were being rolled out, it was the perfect time to repurpose the barrels of the old flintlock guns.
After discussing the gas lamp project with Murdoch, it was already three in the afternoon. Joseph then boarded the rail cart again and continued his tour of the industrial park, not returning until after dark.
Standing by the window, watching Murdoch's figure disappear into the distance, Joseph couldn't help but sigh. If only he had a few more talents like Murdoch...
An idea suddenly struck him: Why not recruit talent on a national scale? Murdoch himself had been brought over from Britain, after all. Why not launch a "talent recruitment program"?
He could advertise in various countries, offering talented individuals the chance to come to France to develop their skills. The government could help fund their startups, provide bonuses, housing, and even solve marriage problems—finding a spouse was far easier in this era, especially with the help of officials.
And for those from Germany or Russia, marrying a fashionable and elegant Frenchwoman would be an irresistible lure.
The more Joseph thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. Forgetting about dinner, he grabbed paper and pen to start planning: "We could also grant outstanding talents noble titles. And why not establish something like the Nobel Prize? It would be a huge draw for talent... Of course, the name would need to be changed. How about the 'Louis Prize'?
"The Louis Prize for Physics, the Louis Prize for Chemistry... And this time, we can't forget mathematics. We must have a Louis Prize for Mathematics!
"This will make France the new academic center of Europe, replacing Britain!
"We could even make the Louis Prize ceremony a grand event to attract tourism. It could become a source of income—perhaps we could even make money after awarding the prizes..."
The next morning, the owners of the ironworks in the industrial park, accompanied by their key technicians, arrived at Joseph's residence as scheduled. After some brief formalities, Joseph invited them to sit and got straight to the point.
"I have a technology that you all might find interesting," he began, glancing toward the distant steel furnaces. "I can increase the temperature of your blast furnaces by 200 to 300 degrees, and this can be done by modifying your existing furnaces without the need for new ones."
The factory owners who knew the industry well were immediately wide-eyed. Those who didn't understand quickly whispered to their technicians, "What does that mean?"
"Sir, raising the temperature by even 100 degrees would be incredible!"
"?!"
"You see, it's very difficult to get a blast furnace above 1200 degrees. At that temperature, the iron in the ore doesn't fully melt; it turns into a somewhat viscous fluid that flows out from the bottom of the furnace."
Iron's melting point is above 1500 degrees, but because iron ore contains trace amounts of other metals, its melting point drops to around 1200 degrees.
"But this viscous iron contains a lot of impurities, making it brittle or prone to cracking once solidified. So, it needs to be further refined in a reverberatory furnace. The temperature in a reverberatory furnace can exceed 1500 degrees, which allows us to burn off the impurities in the molten iron. We can also add carbon to the fully liquefied iron in the reverberatory furnace to adjust its hardness or add other elements to remove more impurities. This refined steel is then strong and durable."
This was the key difference between iron and steel. While both are primarily composed of the element Fe, iron contains impurities like silicon and sulfur, making it neither tough nor durable. Removing these impurities and adding the right amount of carbon turns it into steel. High-quality farm tools, blades, and springs must all be made from steel.
Last year, France produced about 120,000 tons of pig iron, but only five to six thousand tons of steel.
The factory owners were shrewd enough to understand what this meant. If they could raise the temperature of their blast furnaces by over 200 degrees, reaching around 1400 degrees, they could accomplish much of what was normally done during steel refining right in the blast furnace.
For lower-demand applications, the high-quality iron produced directly from the blast furnace could be used without further refining.
This could greatly improve the profitability of their factories!
Seeing the eager looks on the factory owners' faces, Joseph continued, "You all understand the significance of raising the temperature by 200 degrees.
"A higher temperature means the ore will produce iron faster, significantly increasing daily output. Additionally, higher temperatures will cause much of the silicon in the iron to oxidize right in the furnace..."
He wasn't sure if they fully understood terms like silicon oxidation, so he simplified it: "In short, it improves the quality of your iron ingots and drastically reduces the time needed for further steel refining."
Finally, Olivier, unable to contain his curiosity, carefully asked, "Your Highness, may I ask how we might obtain this technology?"
Joseph smiled. "I'm planning to establish the 'French Steel Technology Association.' Members of the association will have access to all the association's technologies, including the furnace temperature increase. The association will also organize collaborative research among its members to improve production techniques."
The factory owners remained silent, knowing that such a good deal must come with restrictions.
Joseph continued, "The association will also handle certain coordination efforts, such as regulating the sale of steel and assessing product quality. Of course, if you choose not to use the association's technology, you won't have to follow these restrictions."
He then explained how the regulations and assessments would work.
In short, if they used the association's technology, the sale of their steel products would need to be approved by the association, and they would be forbidden from selling to certain buyers. Additionally, the association would evaluate and publicly grade their products.
Steel was the backbone of the industrial revolution. By controlling the steel industry, Joseph could effectively regulate most enterprises' production. As long as he was the head of the association, he would hold the power to control the distribution of wealth.
(End of Chapter)
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